Above is the audio of Tuesday's media call to promote Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker hosts the call, which features a panel of lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez and number-one contender Jorge Masvidal. Women's featherweight champion Cris "Cyborg" Santos and number-one contender Hiroko Yamanaka are also in attendance.
Much of the call was spent discussing Melendez's future with Strikeforce and the UFC. "El Nino" was extremely forthright on the subject, explaining that a move to the Octagon was "inevitable". "There's some talent in Strikeforce, but I've done my time here," the champion said. "The goal is to be the UFC champion at the end of the day."
On the women's front, Santos appeared motivated to return to the cage after such an extended layoff. The pound-for-pound queen also confirmed her intentions to move to the featherweight division, stating that the lighter weight class hosts a significantly larger range of competition.
Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal takes place Saturday, December 17th at Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California. For a complete rundown of the card, visit MMA Nation's Strikeforce fight card StoryStream.